Before you all flame me, and tell me there have been other threads, I have searched on this and read back through old threads, but I still need clarification on this please.

I want to ride off road.

I want to plan a ride on my computer.

I want to load it onto my gps.

Can I get online OS maps? Or do I have to use something else?

I have an N95 phone – can I use that with some additional software, or do I need a separate unit.

Thank you, sorry for being so dense…

I just use a Garmin etrex with Tracklogs 1:50K mapping on the pooter.

Not tried it with a phone, but my BlackBerry GPS is a bit too crap for navigation, so I wouldn't trust it.

If you've got lots of money, the satmap is great – my mate has one and it has made a massive difference to our local rides, esp nightrides

Right, thanks, I'm off to have a look at tracklogs…

Grough route is similar, but probably cheaper (£1.50 a month) and works from OS maps and you can output gpx files. http://www.grough.co.uk

Thanks, I'll look at SatMap too. I am not too worried about cost as long as whatever I get does the job.

I have my map in a clear plastic thingy which I tuck between my Camelbak and my back, but the frustration of having to keep stopping and looking is immense plus it sometimes escapes.

There's no continuity to rides, you can't get a good workout and it just takes up so much of your valuable riding time.

MAP HOLDER

fifteen poonds is a lot cheaper than your gps solution. But that won't be cool enough will it?

bikehike.co.uk + garmin geko. I spent a week in the lakes last spring riding mostly new stuff. Had to look at the map a bit but only 1-2 times a ride

Check out

http://www.bikehike.co.uk/

Free online mapping here with the ability to output gpx files

i agree with your frustrations- have you tried a young fit local lad for riding and guiding ???

Memory Map. I used to use it with my mobile (windows, not sure about nokia). Got a dedicated device last year and much better to use when on the bike. I have the older one its actually a navigator (£80 off ebay) that I "upgraded" to an adventure 7000 (£350), the new 2800 looks good. Real useful, plan routes online or down load them. Use it everytime I ride somewhere new.

MM 2800

Nokia N95 is viewranger software compatible.
That will give you GPS mapping on your phone.
Battery life might be a bit short though. So you'll need a spare.

Tootall

Thanks a good low-tech solution and similar to what I use for audaxes which is quite simply a piece of paper in a plastic bag loosely zip tied to my handlebars, I can spin it around the 'bars as I complete the ride, and turn the directions over when I get my brevet card marked (and have tea and cake WI style, lovely).

For short rides a map in a map holder is great (they do flap a bit on bumpy descents), but for long rides you're still into folding and refolding, and two or three maps.

What did we do before GPS? anyway these are generally accepted to be the best mapboard, , it won't care about battery power, dirt, the lack of GPS pickup, and much cheaper when you crash. I have a GPS as backup.

review here, http://www.johnlaughlin.co.uk/reviews/nordenmark-map-board/

PS: i think a high tech IT answer will be of major benefit on the SDW

qwerty – Member

i agree with your frustrations- have you tried a young fit local lad for riding and guiding ???

Ooooh, sounds lovely! Where can I get one of those please?

Do we ride before or after the guiding (or both?) 😉

If you are getting a map board, be sure to get some panniers and a yellow cagoule. Also I heard that farmer john's nephew tyres are rad to the power of sick

I use(d) an Etrex legend and Tracklogs software and haven't had any real issues other than my own misunderstanding of the legens screen and way it was trying to make me go. Other than that, it's shown me some great routes.

PS: i think a high tech IT answer will be of major benefit on the SDW

i hope ur joking.

Maps for me,but I'm rubbish with technology. Same with my car.

How does the touchscreen on the MM2800 work with gloves? I could live with snipping the finger tip off one finger I suppose…

Whats the battery life like?

Karin – I have used a gps for years, due to most of my riding being on my own. I use Tracklogs (you can download a demo copy)to plot the route then export to gps. Just follow track on screen.

Would be worth downloading others too, ie Memory Map, Anquet etc. Bear in mind that if you go for 1:25 scale, it will work out very expensive. 1:50 scale is more acceptable.

As clever as some of these latest gadgets are, I would not consider having something worth hundreds of pounds sitting on my handlebar.

It is also worth bearing in mind that the latest Garmins have a more powerful receiver (HX possibly?). Mine is a few years old and can struggle in tree cover.

As regards map holders, I used to have the perspex type, every time I had an off, it broke so gave up with that idea.

As a little example, today at Swinley I was recording the route and the gps came in very useful in rather sad circumstances. I was able to give a ten digit grid reference so the air ambulance knew exactly where we were 😯

We can natter about it next Sunday 🙂

As a little example, today at Swinley I was recording the route and the gps came in very useful in rather sad circumstances. I was able to give a ten digit grid reference so the air ambulance knew exactly where we were

Ah…was it a big yellow one? Thought I saw it flying over today when I was out, but wasn't sure it was something in the woods. Good luck to whoever it came in for.

auric – yes. Guy behind me (not with us) got descent wrong. We're waiting to hear how he is. Pretty frightening stuff.

I've got an Edge205, which will allow you to follow a route you've plotted on the PC using Tracklogs etc. The route displays as a simple line on screen which you follow, so you can still get it wrong. You can input directions using trackpoints though, so it's not completely rudderless.

It's done thousands of miles with me and plenty of crashes, including today where I was happy with my OTB tuck and roll until the bike rebounded and hit me on the head 😀 Not broken it yet. I'm considering one of the new Garmin Dakota devices, which is about £300 but does have OS maps on it.

Hi Elaine, hope the guy is ok.

I'm def getting gps, just working out which one. Was thinking of using my phone, but decided to keep the phone function separate, can see a time when this might be good thing (your incident today for example).

I think SatMaps looks good, you can get the whole of south east england for £60 – but I think you have to pay extra for the ability to plot your route onto the maps. All the systems seem to have pros and cons.

Update on latest unfortunate victim of Swinley's gnarliness: he's fine! Bit broken and battered, but nowt too serious.

The big and yellow helicopter was koo-oo-ool though!!! 😀

But aren't Tracklogs maps £150 each? That's an awful lot of money.

You could always write the route down as a strip map or something similar. Low tech and it works.

For mapping http://www.mapyx.com/ Quo is excellent far cheaper than the rest.

Thanks for update, bananaworld. I'm so relieved his injury wasn't worse but do hope he will get on a bike again. Healing vibes to him.

Didn't realise 'copters were so "snug" inside though.

Karin – check out this, it's cheaper:

http://www.mapyx.com/index.asp?tn=features&c=150

There's bound to be someone on here who has used it. Definitely would not go for a 'jack of all trades' gps.

You could just buy the National Parks if that suits? Or a Region?

TooTall,

I've tried that, I do it for road rides, but for off road rides it's just not practical – it takes ages to describe every turn off road, and, since I navigate off Pathfinders, it isn't possible to describe the beginning of bridleways accurately enough.

I want to be able to work out a route at home in the evening and go out and ride my bike, not fart around wasting time with maps, it completely ruins a ride for me.

Satmap works really well for me. Got the whole of the UK on 1:50000 which is fine (no need for 1:25K). There are plenty of online sites to plan routes on and then download to the unit. Then you just follow – impossible to get lost. The GPS always shows you where you are in relation to your trail, with an OS background. Satmap also run their own map site(although the visible map area is a bit restricted compared to others).
The trouble I find with maps is that you need to know where you are – which by definition is difficult when your lost. I've been on top of some Welsh hills when the mist has rolled in looking for paths that are present on the map but don't seem to exist on the ground. I've followed instructions that take me 'up to the gate' – only to find that there are three gates to chose from. With the Satmap you know your keeping to the trail, even when all you see is a field full of grass/ sheep with no landmarks. I always carry a map + compass (just in case) – but have not yet had to get them out.
I know you can do all this stuff with a compass and a bit of brain power but I prefer to not have to stop and figure out where I am so often – I prefer the riding.
Also comes in handy when we go out walking with the kids. I know they can go for about five miles, so we do five i.e. don't get lost and do seven.

Another recommendation for the Satmap, if you're prepared to drop a monkey on an admittedly non-essential gadget (me and the GF pitched in together and bought ours).

The ability to plan routes on a stand-alone unit is great and makes it ideal for multi-day tours where you might want to vary your plans. Plus you can keep feeding it AA batteries rather than having to find somewhere to charge it. Think non-UK mapping is a bit limited for it at the moment, but apart from that, it seems like a great, reliable easy to use bit of kit.

I've dabbled with Bikehike to plan routes but it's a complete pain when you're doing a longer one and it times out. Plus I think they have had some legal troubles as the online routes database seems to have been suspended.

Oh and £15 for a map holder? Are you on crack? I made mine out of a bit of plastic card, three velcro ties and a sandwich bag. Some folk spend money like water, grumble grumble… 🙂

The trouble I find with maps is that you need to know where you are – which by definition is difficult when your lost.

Prevention is better than a cure. If you get lost (and you shouldn't), then a dead GPS will have you double-knackered rather than a map and compass and a little bit of awareness.

Karin – you are obviously lucky to have so many trails you don't know yet are marked on a map that you need a GPS to ride them all. I'm not anti-technology(I have and use a GPS), but using a map and riding 'heads up' means I get to know an area much quicker and put it all into context. Then I don't need to refer to anything to know how and where everything joins up.

When you say Pathfinder do you mean Explorer or Landranger map?

Get a separate GPS device like a Garmin. GPS kills battery life on a phone so you could end up in the middle of nowhere with no map and no phone. Phones are also more fragile and not waterproof.

A GPS will integrate properly with mapping S/W, be less frustrating and above all more reliable when you really need it

Ah the perenial 'what GPS' question soon to be followed by the 'which tyres for…' and 'what coffee maker' favourites 🙂

My own approach is for something reliable and not too fancy or expensive on the bars with the ability to plan/diagnose/review back at the ranch. I find phone/PDA based nav a bit battery hungry and/or fragile.

I use an Etrex H (cheap ~£80) and reliable. Couple of days on standard AA rechargeables, 20 routes and up to 125 waypoints per route. If you are feeling flush, go for the Legend HCx as this has 50 routes/250 waypoints per route which (the latter) is a bit more flexible for setting out more complex/long bike routes.

I use Memory Map on the PC for planning and recording. The Etrex is used for both mountaineering and biking and every route I do, I record and upload to Memory Map afterwards as a record of the activity. Personally, I find 1:50k maps fine for biking and always printe out the area I'm going to as a backup.

In summary, I preplan the route on Memory Map, print the overview out at 1:50k, upload the route to the Garmin and follow its instructions out on the ride.

There are web based planning tools you could use instead of MM; Bikeroutetoaster, bikehike etc. Everyone seems to have their own favourite. As outlined above, they are not always as flexible/reliable as a PC based solution and they are apt to vanish/change conditions of use without warning…. Not good if you have a couple of years of records you want to access.

i love GPS. more time biking, less time map reading.

i've tried the phone/PDA/memory map route which is great for OS maps and exploring, but tend to use a Garmin Edge with a downloaded route most of the time. The older phone/pda things seem to be a lot more robust. get about 8 hours of constant use out of mine, plus can carry a spare battery for it.

If you get a Garmin i REALLY reccomend the OpenStreetMap garmin download. There are better quality than the official Garmin maps (certainly where i am anyway) and they are free!

Karinofnine – Phones, small gps units are all a compromise. You need a dedicated navigation unit with a big screen and os mapping. If money is not an issue, as others have said, Satmap is the one. Of course I have one, but wouldn't reccomend it unless I was impressed! I've always been a map man (and am quite good) but decided to give the gps a try. It is great for all levels of navigation off-road. You can plan a route on various web sites (including Satmaps own) and on the unit itself if no computer is available. The screen is big and clear and easy to navigate through the functions. It's not satnav – it won't tell you when to turn or if you go off-route, but because you've got a route marked on the os map it would be very difficult to stray far! It will also keep the map orientated for you as you ride…. There's lots of useful navigational functions. It won't play music though. And the only pictures it takes are screen shots.